In a lot of different ways, Pattern Recognition reminds me of some postmodern books I've read, especially Infinite Jest. IJ also exhibits signs of our society's preoccupation with brands (Large corporations advertise by sponsoring/subsidizing a year. For example, "Year of Dairy Products from the American Heartland.") Also, during the discussion of Slow River, conspicuous consumption. These are themes that also pop up in PR.

PR is set in the futuristic present, which is definitely preoccupied with labels, brands, and name-dropping. Gibson casually references DKNY, Michelin, Louis Vuitton, and others. The brands he mentions are brands from all over the world, and this emphasizes the ongoing globalization of a mass market. The signs of this are everywhere. Damien's flat has German and Italian appliances; Cayce has German locks installed; the coffee is from Colombia. This is different from the concept of England as a "mirror-world.''

In the "mirror-world," everything is slightly familiar and recognizable, yet different. It is a foreign atmosphere with new species of brands to be wary of. (Additionally, Cayce is thrown out of her element because she is unaccustomed to the British lifestyle: people drive on the opposite side of the road, the food looks and tastes different, etc.) England's difference is attributed to the fact that its products are made and assembled within its borders. "They invented that here, probably, and made it here. This was an industrial nation. Buy a pair of scissors, you got British scissors. They made all their own stuff. Kept imports expensive...All their bits and pieces were different, from the ground up" (108).

With outsourcing and such, products that are recognizably American are actually made in a different country. As Boone Chu mentions, "I don't think it's going to be that way much longer. Not if the world's Bigends keep at it: no borders, pretty soon there's no mirror to be on the other side of" (108). Cayce's beloved Buzz Rickson's, for example, are the Japanese reproduction of classic American WWII leather jackets. "It is an imitation more real somehow than that which it emulates" (11). What does this imply about the future of culture? How will we be able to distinguish what is "us" and what is the "other" if the "other" is more "us" than we are?

Random thoughts:
Since I'm currently working on a paper for lit theory, Pattern Recognition also made me think of Cleanth Brooks and Roland Barthes, especially after the conversation in class about the author's intent.
The global fascination with the film clips is reminiscent of "The Entertainment" in Infinite Jest.
It's incredibly ironic that Cayce has this strange allergic reaction to brands, yet Bigend wants her to help him ultimately monetize the Footage, essentially making it into a brand.